Hanksite is an evaporite saline mineral from the briny Searles Lake area near Trona, California. As with any saline mineral, like halite (which is a salt crystal), you can not clean specimens with water. If you do, they will dissolve before your very eyes. Over time, exposure to air will dull the surface of the specimen. To make hanksite specimens look fresh and new, cover them with a light coating of mineral oil.

Some specimens may also include small trona crystals (another evaporite mineral).

The first photo is hanksite under long wave ultraviolet light. Since it does not fluoresce under short wave UV lighting, we included a photo under normal lighting below.